MARIETTA, Ga.— The Montreat men's soccer team closed out its season-opening 3-game road trip Wednesday night with a non-conference neutral-site matchup against the Faulkner University Eagles. Playing in Marietta, Ga., the Cavaliers couldn't hang on to a 1-0 advantage as the Eagles scored twice in the second frame to take the contest via a 2-1 final and drop Montreat's record to 0-2-1.
 
In a scoreless first half, Faulkner notched twice as many shots as the Cavs (9-4) thanks in large part to a 7-minute stretch midway through the initial frame. Starting in the 19^th minute, the Eagles fired off six shots over the course of 7:14; however, only one of those attempts forced Montreat goalkeeper Marius Braedstrup-Holm into action. The Ballerup, Denmark native made his lone save of the opening half in the 24^th minute, keeping Faulkner off the scoreboard.
 
Following the Eagles' extended span of pressure, the Cavaliers forced the Faulkner goalie into action. Miodrag Bankovic and Alex Klymenko placed a pair of shots on target just 30 seconds apart, but the Eagles' goalkeeper proved up to the task by recording his two first-half saves in quick succession.
 
At the break, Faulkner owned a 3-0 edge in corner kicks. Meanwhile, an aggressive Montreat team committed 10 fouls to the Eagles' mere one through 45 minutes of play.
 
The Cavs started an energetic second half with the match's initial tally. Just 10:27 into the new frame, Zeljko Stanojevic bagged the first goal of his Cavalier career when he finished off a pass from Rodrigo Jimenez, handing Montreat a 1-0 lead in the process.
 
Faulkner (5-0-1) answered quickly, however, erasing its deficit in just 97 seconds to knot the score at one. Seizing momentum and grabbing the lead for good, the Eagles struck with another tally in the 64^th minute, suddenly flipping their 1-goal deficit into a 1-goal advantage.
 
The Eagles hit both the crossbar and the post in the 69^th and 79^th minutes, respectively, but they couldn't find an insurance goal. Marcos Santiago nearly made Faulkner pay for not capitalizing on its opportunities, but he also drilled the crossbar with just 9:52 remaining in regulation. Jimenez took the Cavs' only other shot in the final 10 minutes, but Montreat couldn't find its late equalizer as it lost a 2-1 final for the second straight match.
 
"Our guys played great tonight against a very tough opponent," said head coach Michael Bruce. "We played with heart and some very good quality. On another night, the result could have been different. We are excited to go into conference play on Saturday with a positive spirit."
 
Acting as the home side at the neutral site, Faulkner made itself feel right at home with numerous looks at goal. The Eagles ended the evening with twice as many shot attempts as the Cavaliers (18-9), and they owned slight edges in both shots on goal (6-5) and corner kicks (4-3). Braedstrup-Holm totaled four saves in the defeat.
 
The Montreat men's soccer team plays its first home and Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest on Saturday when Tennessee Wesleyan University comes to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Pulliam Stadium in Black Mountain, N.C.